Former England spinner Monty Panesar has taken a swipe at the Indian Cricket Team coach Gautam Gambhir, saying that he should instead coach a Ranji Trophy team to understand the needs of a test side. This comment comes amidst speculations that Gambhir would be replaced by former ace batsman VVS Laxman as the coach. India has faced a second test series whitewash within a year, after which the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reported approached Laxman for the coaching gig.
What did Monty Panesar say?
Panesar told the news agency ANI that he believes Gautam Gambhir has proven his credentials as a successful coach for white-ball matches and tournaments, as India won the Champions Trophy and the T20 Asia Cup this year. Panesar believes that Gambhir's capability as a red-ball coach, however, requires review. As a remedy, he suggested that Gambhir should coach a Ranji team and interact with respective coaches to learn the nuances of the format.
Panesar said, "Gautam Gambhir is a good coach in white-ball cricket because he has been successful. He could become the Ranji Trophy coach, and he should talk to the coaches who have coached in the Ranji Trophy about how you build a team in red-ball cricket. Right now, the Indian team is weak in Test cricket. This is the reality. It's not that strong. It will take time. When you retire three big players, it becomes difficult to keep the remaining players ready."
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Will Gambhir be replaced?
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has reacted to the reports surfacing regarding the board searching for and sending offers to find a replacement for Gautam Gambhir. "This is totally incorrect news going on. This is totally speculative news. Some very reputed news agencies are also flashing the news. There is no truth to it. BCCI straight away denies. People can think all they want, but BCCI has not taken any steps. This is somebody's figment of imagination; there is no truth in it, and I cannot say anything except that this is factually incorrect and baseless news," Saikia told ANI.
